A Bad Penny
by dS-Tiff
Summary: Victoria is back. Will she succeed in her plan to destroy Fraser this time?
1. Chapter 1

**I've never really considered writing a 'Victoria returns' story before, but this idea just came to me and I had to write it immediately. It's set sometime during Season 3/4 of due South. I hope you enjoy it.**

CHAPTER 1

"No, Dief," Constable Benton Fraser shook his head firmly as he changed into the red long johns he always wore to bed. "I'm not playing hide and seek with you anymore. You know the old Inuit saying – cheats never prosper."

Dief yapped a response and sat down defiantly.

Fraser sighed. "I don't care how much you deny it," he said, picking up a coat hanger for his brown uniform. "You were cheating. Besides, we have an early start in the morning. Ray and I are due to relieve Detectives Huey and Dewey at five in the morning, although whether Ray has his wits about him at such an hour remains to be seen. He'll need a large amount of coffee, I imagine."

Fraser hung his uniform in the closet, a little disappointed that his father wasn't there in his 'office'. He was feeling an odd sense of uneasiness tonight and playing hide and seek with a cheating wolf hadn't helped. Sometimes his father had good advice in such circumstances. Occasionally he had completely inappropriate advice, of course, but more often than not his advice was helpful.

Fraser sighed and climbed into his excuse-for-a-bed. Then he noticed Dief was still sitting in the same spot. "Sleep!" he commanded, but the wolf did not move. Fraser wasn't in the mood for a stubborn Diefenbaker tonight.

Dief yapped.

"No, you can't have a milkshake!" exclaimed Fraser in exasperation.

Dief padded out to the hall and Fraser tried to get comfortable. He closed his eyes, but then he felt a pang of guilt and sighed. He flung back the blanket and went to find Dief who was standing in the kitchen staring longingly at the fridge.

Fraser smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," he said as he opened the fridge door. "I'm feeling a little out of sorts. Would you like milk? I don't think a sugary drink would be advisable right before bed."

Diefenbaker was happy with milk and Fraser filled his bowl from the carton. He lapped at the milk – playing hide and seek made him thirsty - and silently accepted Fraser's apology.

Fraser left him to it and headed back to bed, but he was stopped in his tracks by a knock at the door. He went to answer it, but before he reached the door Dief bounded out of the kitchen and ran in front of him, barking loudly.

"What the matter with you?" asked Fraser, puzzled. "It could be someone in need of help."

Dief continued to growl at the door as there was a second knock, much weaker than the first.

Fraser glanced at Dief; the animal's instincts were rarely wrong. He cautiously opened the door just a crack and peered out to see who it was.

All at once he felt like he couldn't breathe and he staggered back into the hallway. "No," he gasped out.

_No, it couldn't be…he'd got it wrong. His eyes must be playing tricks on him in the dark. It wasn't…it wasn't her._

He suddenly realised he'd left the door open and before he could gather his senses to close it she was in.

Victoria Metcalf.

"Ben," her voice was weak. "Help me, Ben."

"Get out," he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest.

It was really her. This wasn't a nightmare, it was real. He'd hoped he'd never see her again. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when the darkness threatened to overwhelm him he'd even hoped she was dead. But she wasn't dead, she was here. She was back.

"Please, Ben," she staggered forward. "Help me!"

Victoria was clutching her hand to her abdomen and it was then that Fraser saw the blood seeping through her fingers. Ordinarily his instincts would have kicked in and he'd have rushed to help her, but this was Victoria. Last time he'd seen her she'd almost destroyed him and he couldn't risk that again.

_This must be a deception, a ruse, some kind of trap._

Fraser glanced at Diefenbaker and was shocked by the look of hatred in his lupine eyes.

"Ben…" Victoria stumbled forward.

Fraser couldn't help himself – he ran forward to stop her collapsing and she fell into his arms.

Fraser's stomach lurched as his senses absorbed her presence. Her long dark hair brushing against his hands, her scent wafting past his nose, her soft skin against his…nothing had changed.

"What happened?" he asked urgently, but she couldn't reply.

Fraser lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa in the other room.

_Why are you here? _That's what he really wanted to ask her, but that would have to wait. There was a lot of blood and he couldn't let her die.

"I was…attacked," replied Victoria and she let out a low moan of pain.

"Let me see," Fraser urged and he peeled away the blood soaked layers of clothing, tearing open her silk blouse to reveal a small, but deep wound. "Knife?" he queried and Victoria nodded.

Fraser had a million questions to ask her, but how, why and who were unimportant for now. She was barely conscious.

"Dief, I need a towel, a cloth, anything," he said, turning to his wolf who had been watching from a distance. "Quickly!" he added, pressing his hands down hard over the wound.

Dief steadfastly refused to move.

"Please!" Fraser begged, but Dief still didn't budge.

"I'll deal with you later," Fraser hissed at his wolf as he ran past him to the kitchen. He opened a drawer and grabbed a pile of clean tea towels. Then a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and he had to lean on the table to stop himself keeling over. He shouldn't have spoken to Dief like that. Victoria had only been back for a few minutes and already she had come between him and someone he cared about.

Fraser completely understood why Dief had refused to help. The last time Victoria had been here she had shot and almost killed the poor animal, why would he help her now? Why was Fraser even helping her now? He didn't know. Maybe Dief had the right idea?

_No._ She was bleeding badly, she needed help. Fraser would do the same for anyone, no matter who they were, or what they'd done in the past.

He ran back to the other room and fell to his knees beside the sofa. He folded one of the towels into four and pressed it down onto the wound.

Victoria winced in pain. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I shouldn't have come here."

"Sshhh," Fraser tried to calm her. "Don't talk." He looked into her eyes and saw real sorrow. Was that sorrow for what she'd done to him three years ago, or simply because she was quite possibly bleeding to death in front of his eyes? He couldn't tell.

"I…I don't want to die," breathed Victoria.

"I'll call 911," replied Fraser.

"No, you can't!" she exclaimed. "You…you know you can't do that."

Fraser nodded slowly. He knew if he alerted anyone to her presence she would be immediately arrested for the murder of Jolly and for all the other crimes she'd committed. She was a wanted felon. If she survived tonight she could be facing the death penalty. That's not what he wanted. So her life was in his hands.

"There's so much I want to say to you," Victoria continued and tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Sshhh…please, save your strength," urged Fraser.

"But I think about you every day," she sobbed.

"And I you," admitted Fraser before he could stop himself. It was true, though. As much as he'd tried to put her out of his mind she was always there. Flashes of memories, thoughts he couldn't control. She occupied a place in his mind - in his heart - forever. "We can talk later," he said.

Victoria could manage no more than a nod in response, though; her eyes were starting to drift shut.

"Victoria!" said Fraser, urgently. "Don't close your eyes! Stay with me…please."

Her eyes flickered open and a smile danced across her lips. "Tell me the poem," she whispered.

_The poem._ _Oh god…the poem. _

Of course he remembered every word, but the meaning of the poem went beyond the words. It went far deeper than that. The last time he'd recited the poem he'd been lying on a railway platform bleeding from a bullet wound, clinging to life. Ray Vecchio's bullet had been meant for Victoria, but it had hit Fraser instead and stopped him leaving with her. Fraser lived with that bullet inside him every day as a reminder of how his friend had saved his life, by almost taking it.

_The poem…_

He began to recite it and the words spilled out of his mouth like sweet honey, soothing his mind and easing her pain. That's all he wanted to do; he wanted to ease her pain, she didn't deserve this. He was going to help her this time. He was going to save her life and then save her from herself.

As he recited verse after verse, Victoria's distress melted away and the colour started to return to her cheeks.

"Thank you," she smiled. She seemed content now and Fraser allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"I think the bleeding is under control," he said. "I'm going to get the first aid kit. I'll be right back." He got up and ran towards the door.

"I love you," Victoria called after him.

Fraser froze in his tracks. He loved her, he knew that. He lived with that knowledge every day; no matter how crazy it was he still loved her, but did she really love him? After everything she'd done to him how could she claim to love him? She'd tried to ruin his life, but then she'd begged him to leave with her on that train. She'd told him she loved him, but she'd tried to destroy him and everything he cared about. It made no sense. Nothing about her made any sense, but he couldn't hate her. Fraser was still mesmerised by her voice, her beauty, her spirit. She was captivating and he couldn't break away. He couldn't speak right now, he just ran out of the room.

xXxXx

"There, how does that feel?" asked Fraser as he fastened a large, white dressing over the wound.

"It feels good," replied Victoria. "Thank you." She reached out and laid her hand over his, but he gasped at her touch and immediately drew his hand away.

Fraser's head started to spin again. Why had he reacted like that? She was grateful that he'd stopped her bleeding to death, that was all. It wasn't a come on…was it? Fraser looked into her eyes, but he was so confused now he couldn't read her at all.

"You should be in the hospital," he said, bluntly.

"No," she replied. "We've been over this already; no one must know I'm here."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Victoria slowly reached out, ignoring the pain that the movement caused her, and took his hand in hers. This time he didn't pull away.

"Touch me," she said and she placed the palm of his hand gently on the exposed skin on her abdomen.

Fraser gasped at the warmth. His head was screaming at him to stop, but he just couldn't.

Victoria tugged at her blood stained blouse, exposing more flesh and smiled at him seductively.

"No," said Fraser. His voice was low and husky. His mouth had said the word, but his body refused to obey and he slid his hand over her stomach, caressing her skin with his thumb. Sweat started to form at his temples and his breathing was shallow.

Victoria's smile grew wider and she licked her lips with anticipation, but then suddenly it was over. Fraser snatched his hand away and stood up, backing away from her.

"W…what are you doing?" he asked.

Victoria shrugged and sighed. "I missed this," she said. "I missed…us."

"Rest," he commanded. "I'll get you some water."

Fraser could hear Dief's claws on the tiled floor following him to the kitchen. "I know what I'm doing," he said to his wolf.

Dief made a throaty growling noise.

"I will," replied Fraser. "Of course I'm going to call the Police. I just need a bit more time to…" he trailed off. He didn't really have an excuse.

Dief said nothing.

"Don't lecture me," snapped Fraser.

Dief turned and walked away.

Fraser returned to Victoria with some water and he supported her head as she sipped it slowly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have done that just now. I was scared, Ben. I don't want to die. I did before, but I don't now."

Fraser could see genuine remorse etched on her face this time and something he'd never really seen in her before…fear.

He gingerly reached out and brushed the dark curls from her face. Her hair was shorter that the last time he'd seen her. She probably changed her appearance regularly, he realised, considering she'd been on the run for almost three years now.

"You're fine now," he said, reassuringly. "But you lost a lot of blood. I'll need to keep an eye on you for a while."

Fraser paused. This was Victoria. He knew her. He knew that she was volatile and unpredictable and he didn't want to push her, but he needed answers. "Who did this to you?" he asked.

Victoria turned her head away. "I've had to do some difficult things, Ben," she said. "My life now is…you wouldn't understand."

"Try me," he said, gently.

"I've got no choice," she continued. "I take a lot of risks, but I have to survive."

"It's not too late to turn yourself in," he said. He knew she didn't want to hear him say that. He knew she could react badly to those words, but what was she going to do to him? She was weak and vulnerable now. He held all the cards this time…didn't he?

"No, Ben," she replied, defiantly.

Fraser was silent for a moment. He could try begging her, but he'd tried that before – he'd promised her the best lawyers and his full support – but she had simply continued with her evil plan to bring about his downfall.

"I can't," continued Victoria, her voice softer now. "It's too late. Too much has happened."

Fraser realised that she hadn't answered his question. He still had no idea who had plunged a knife into her, or why. He slowly coated his lower lip with his tongue as he ran through various scenarios in his mind.

_She'll tell me when she's ready._

"Are you comfortable?" he asked her. "I can find you another pillow if you'd like one."

"It hurts," Victoria said, flatly.

"I know," Fraser replied.

Victoria was in pain and Fraser didn't want to see her suffer. Now it was his turn to wrap his hands around one of hers. He squeezed it gently they way he used to do. He remembered how he'd held her hand all the time during those few blissful days when she'd first walked back into his life, before everything had started to fall apart. It had felt so good to have someone's hand to hold and it had been his way of showing her that he'd protect her, that he never wanted to be apart from her. But that was then and this was now and everything had changed.

_Does she have any idea of the pain she's caused me? _

The pain from the bullet that had saved his life was long gone now, of course, but he remembered lying on the platform, bleeding, drifting in and out of consciousness and praying that death would take him swiftly to end his unbearable suffering. It wasn't the searing pain of the bullet resting dangerously close to his spine that had been unbearable, it was the pain in his heart. The pain of what he'd allowed her to do to him and to people he cared about. The pain may have dulled a little now, but it was still there.

He quickly released his grasp and her hand fell back to her side. "I find some aspirin," he said.

xXxXx

Victoria slept for a few hours, but Fraser couldn't sleep. He couldn't relax. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. He made clinical observations at hourly intervals, watching for any sign of deterioration in her condition, but she was strong. Fraser knew that; he knew she'd be fine. He tried to get some rest, knowing he'd need all his strength to deal with the immediate aftermath of this, but it was no use.

Instead, he stared at the telephone on the desk in the hall. He'd thought about calling Ray, but Fraser just couldn't risk involving him, not after what Victoria had done to Ray Vecchio. He should just call 911. He had a wanted fugitive in his custody and it was his duty to alert the authorities…but instead he just sat and stared at the phone.

Diefenbaker was at Fraser's feet on full alert. He didn't know what the man was thinking and that scared him. Ordinarily Dief and Fraser had a mutual trust and respect, but this evil woman had come between them before - in fact she had come between Fraser and almost all rational thought -and Dief was not about to let his guard slip again. He had always carried the guilt of what happened with him. He should have dodged her bullet. He should have taken Victoria down when he'd had the chance, then he could have prevented her from hurting Fraser, but she'd got away from him and he'd almost died because of his mistake and so had Fraser.

Victoria stirred and opened her eyes and immediately Dief got to his feet.

"Ben," she called out.

"I'm here," replied Fraser, reassuringly. "Are you alright?"

"Thirsty," she said in a croaky voice.

Fraser nodded and went to get her some more water. He refilled her glass from the tap and then filled one for himself too. He suddenly realised how thirsty he was too; he hadn't even considered his own basic needs since Victoria had arrived.

Fraser gulped down the water, grateful for the refreshment. Then suddenly Dief came bounding into the kitchen barking loudly.

"What is it?" asked Fraser urgently and he ran back to find Victoria slumped back on her pillows, her arm hanging loosely over the side of the couch.

"Victoria!" Fraser exclaimed and he dropped to his knees beside her. He checked her pulse, holding his breath in panic. Her heartbeat was still strong, the warm sensation against his fingers melted away his fears. Now he could feel her breath against his hand and he shook her shoulder gently. "Victoria," he repeated, trying to rouse her.

Her eyes blinked open.

Fraser turned to Dief and smiled gratefully. "Thank you," he said, but Dief replied with an angry bark.

"What's wrong with you?" Fraser frowned at his wolf.

"Ben…" Victoria reached out a hand and Fraser clutched it to his heart.

"It's alright," he said to her. "You passed out, but it's alright now. I'm here."

Dief barked again and Fraser scowled at him. "Stop it," he said. "What are you talking about?"

Dief barked again and ran out of the room. Fraser heard the click of the back door as his wolf left the Consulate. Fraser sighed sadly. Why couldn't Dief trust him on this? He wasn't going to let Victoria hurt them again. He wasn't.

"Sip this," Fraser encouraged and he helped Victoria to drink some water.

"I don't know what happened?" she replied.

Fraser lifted her wrist and checked her pulse again. "You're going to be weak for a while," he explained. "You lost a lot of blood. You need to build up your strength again slowly."

Victoria nodded. "I can't stay here, can I," she said.

Fraser shook his head. He'd been trying to figure out a way to make it work, but he just couldn't. "I'll find somewhere," he said. "Don't worry."

_What am I saying? I just offered to harbour a fugitive! _

Victoria smiled. "You were going to come with me, weren't you," she said.

Fraser drew a sharp breath. She was talking about the train. If she'd asked him in the weeks immediately after it had happened he would have said yes. He remembered telling Ray when he was recovering in hospital that he had intended to go with her, but now that he'd had time to think about it all rationally he'd changed his mind.

"No, I wasn't," he replied, scratching at his eyebrow with his thumbnail. "I was intending to apprehend you and turn you over to the Police."

Victoria shook her head and her bottom lip started to quiver. "That's not true," she said. "Tell me it's not true."

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I admit that at the time my thoughts were conflicted, but you must realise that your actions were…what you had done was…I just couldn't…" he trailed off. He couldn't find the right words.

"I've changed, Ben," she said. "Back then I was angry and confused and I thought I wanted to hurt you, but now…I regret what I did."

Fraser didn't believe her. As harsh as it seemed he knew she didn't really mean it, not deep down. She had no regrets. That's not who Victoria Metcalf was. Maybe she did things differently now, but she had a darkness inside her and that would never change.

"Try to go back to sleep," he said. He didn't want to talk about it. It was in the past.

"I didn't know if you were dead or alive," Victoria said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I almost had you, our fingers touched, but then I heard the shot and you fell and I thought I'd lost you forever."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks now and Fraser longed to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be alright.

_But I can't do either of those things now._

"That bullet was meant for me, wasn't it," sobbed Victoria. "Your friend wanted me dead and I don't blame him. I had to leave not knowing what had happened to you. I wanted to scream and run to you, but…"

_But Ray wouldn't have missed twice, _Fraser acknowledged with a shudder. "Please, let's not talk about this now," he said.

"Then when?" asked Victoria. She wiped her face with her hand.

Fraser closed his eyes briefly and tried to think of a suitable answer. He knew that she wouldn't be here long whatever transpired over the coming days. Soon she would be gone from his life once again and this time it would be forever.

He stood up and walked over to the sofa. For a moment he just stood there looking down at her. Why did she have to be this way? Why was she able to get inside his head like this? Fraser simply couldn't ignore the raw emotions of the only woman he'd ever really loved.

"Please don't cry," he said. It was a simple request.

"I don't know what else to do?" she replied. "How can I make you understand?"

Fraser picked up a box of tissues and handed it to her. "Dry your eyes," he said. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. You had your reasons; that's all I need to know."

"Why do you have to be so goddam nice?" she answered with a wry smile.

Fraser carefully sat on the edge of the sofa. He took the tissue from her hand and tenderly wiped her tears for her. As he did so she reached out her hands and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. Fraser's whole body stiffened, but he didn't pull away. He allowed her to caress him and he leaned into her touch.

_She's doing it again. Why does she do this to me?_

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked.

Fraser swallowed hard.

_Shouldn't I be asking you that question? I could have let you go after Fortitude Pass. I saved your life and then I crushed it…it's entirely fault; all of this is my fault…_

Fraser lost control. Victoria had him exactly where she wanted him…again…and he was powerless to stop it. She pulled him close until their foreheads touched.

"Come with me," she whispered. "No one will ever know. We can be together forever."

Before he knew what was happening they were kissing, sending shivers of passion through his whole body as he ignored the voices in his head yelling at him to stop. He was lost in her. He didn't know if he would ever find himself again. He didn't know if he wanted to.

Victoria wrapped her arms around him and pulled him on top of her. He put up no resistance. His body lurched against hers, but pain arched through her body and she let out a high pitched yelp.

The noise snapped Fraser out of his trance and he climbed off. "I'm sorry," he said, panting as he spoke. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think…" He pulled the blanket away to check her wound, half expecting to see blood soaking through the dressing, but there was nothing.

"It's OK, I'm fine," Victoria tried to reassure him. "I didn't think. I just wanted…" she trailed off and tried to kiss him again.

"I know," he whispered, but he turned his head away from her. He wanted it too…didn't he?

_I need some air…_

He tried to stand up, but she pulled him back.

"Where are you going?" she asked sharply.

Fraser was stunned by the sudden shift in tone. "I…I…" he stammered. He looked at her face, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The change in her terrified him. It was as if a dark cloud had suddenly descended and taken away the woman he loved. She even looked different. Still captivating in her beauty, but now the darkness was back - not that it had ever really gone away, he knew that – but now it was there on display for all to see.

Fraser tried to stand up, but he couldn't take his eyes off her and then before he realised what was happening Victoria's fingers were in his mouth. Fraser let out a whimper.

"It could be like this forever," she said, her voice softer again. "Come with me, Ben. Let's leave now and never come back."

Fraser's sucked at her fingertips, his tongue caressing the lines of her knuckles as the memories came flooding back. The first time he'd done this they'd both been close to death, the second time they'd been making love…but what was this?

_Help me!_

He tried to scream, but he was paralysed. She tasted like luscious nectar, just as before, only now…

W_ait, something's different now…_

Fraser's eyes widened as he realised what was happening, but it was too late.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2.

"If this is just because Fraser won't let you have a midnight snack, I'm gonna kick you in the head!"

Ray Kowalski staggered towards the front door of the Consulate in the dark with Diefenbaker running ahead. Being undercover as Ray Vecchio was his life now and he couldn't imagine going back to his old life any time soon, but the wolf was something Lieutenant Welsh had forgotten to mention when he'd talked him into taking the job. Fraser seemed to think he could communicate with the animal – maybe he could, Fraser could do a lot of weird and wonderful things – but to Ray, all those barks and yaps were just regular animal noises.

"I still don't know how you got into my apartment at two in the morning," continued Ray. "I don't think I want to know, but this had better be important."

Ray was trying to stay calm. As soon as he'd felt Dief's wet nose nudging him awake he'd known something must be very wrong. He'd tried calling Fraser at the Consulate, but he figured there was a problem with the line because he was getting a busy tone the whole time. So he'd jumped in the car and raced through the neon lit streets of Chicago to check on his buddy.

Ray knocked on the heavy wooden door. "Fraser!" he called out, but there was no reply.

Ray wasn't going to wait any longer. Something was badly wrong, he just knew it. He got out his credit card, slipped it into the tiny gap between the door and the doorframe and clicked the lock open.

_Thank god Fraser didn't fix that yet._

Ray drew his gun and followed Dief into the building. He almost tripped over the phone from the front desk which had been pulled out of the wall. The door to the other room was wide open and Ray immediately saw Fraser lying on his back on the floor with a large, angry bruise on his temple. There was blood everywhere .

Ray's heart lurched into his mouth. "Fraser!" he said urgently. He quickly checked around the room, but there was no one else there. He re-holstered his gun and crouched beside the still form of his best friend.

Ray checked for a pulse.

_Please don't be dead._

Ray's touch was enough to rouse the hypersensitive Mountie. "Ray?" he croaked.

"Just stay still, buddy," urged Ray.

"How did you know?" asked a confused Fraser.

"Dief came to find me," explained Ray. "You're bleeding from somewhere. Who did this to you?"

"It's not my blood," replied Fraser, easing himself to a sitting position. "It's hers. She was here, Ray. Victoria."

Ray couldn't believe it. Fraser had told him all about Victoria Metcalf. He'd never seen his buddy as distressed as he had been that night as they'd sat around a campfire together and Fraser had tried to explain everything. If Ray was honest, a lot of it hadn't made much sense to him, but he knew that this evil woman had changed Fraser. She'd stolen part of who Benton Fraser was and he would never be able to get that back.

"Are you sure it was her?" asked Ray. _Stupid question, Kowalski. _He could have kicked himself in the head.

"Yes, Ray," replied Fraser, flatly.

Fraser tried to stand, but his legs buckled underneath him and Ray had to grab him by the arms. "Woah there, buddy," said Ray and he led him to the sofa to sit down. Ray picked up the crumpled blanket and wrapped it around Fraser's shoulders. He looked into his eyes; his pupils were enlarged. _That's not good._ "You look all weird," he announced.

"Her fingers," replied Fraser, wishing the room would stop spinning. "I put them…in my mouth."

"OK," replied Ray nervously. He didn't want to know the details.

"Poison," continued Fraser. "It was on her fingers."

_How could I fall for that? How could I let her do this to me?_

Fraser looked around the room and suddenly a sense of dread washed over him. "Where's Dief?" he said urgently.

"He was here a minute ago," replied Ray, puzzled.

"He's gone after her!" exclaimed Fraser, trying to get to his feet. "We have to stop him, Ray. She'll kill him."

Ray was startled by the urgency in his voice and he tried to steady his friend, but Fraser didn't have enough strength anyway and he collapsed back onto the sofa. "Take it easy," said Ray.

At that moment Diefenbaker came running back into the room, panting for breath. He crossed straight to a relieved Fraser and nuzzled into him.

"It's alright," said Fraser, ruffling his furry ears. "She's long gone by now. You shouldn't have done that, it's not safe." He turned to Ray. "He said there's no trail. She's covered her tracks."

Ray nodded. "OK, so what do we do now?" he asked.

Fraser swallowed hard. "Please get me a pencil and paper," he said.

Ray screwed up his face in puzzlement, but followed his buddy's request anyway, running out the front desk to find a pad and a pencil.

"Thank you kindly, Ray," said Fraser. He closed his eyes for a second, before opening them again and starting to sketch.

Ray was always amazed by Fraser's ability to sketch at lightning speed. The details he was able to recall were always perfect and his skill had proved invaluable on more than one case. Ray couldn't quite work out what he was drawing this time, though.

Eventually, Fraser finished and studied the results, scrutinising the page from all angles. Then his shoulders slumped and he hung his head.

"What's up?" asked Ray.

"I should have seen it," replied Fraser, his voice cracking with emotion. He spun the page around to show Ray.

Ray recoiled slightly as he realised Fraser had drawn some very graphic depictions of a wound. They wouldn't look out of place in one of those creepy horror comics that some of the kids loved these days, he thought.

"Victoria arrived here this evening bleeding heavily from an abdominal wound," Fraser explained. "This wound." He threw the pad onto the floor in disgust. "She came here begging for my help, Ray, but look at the angle of entry and…" he realised that Ray had no idea what he was talking about. "I thought someone had stabbed her, but…but it was self-inflicted."

"Jeez," said Ray. "She stabbed herself?"

"She took a huge risk," continued Fraser with a heavy sigh. "If I hadn't been here she would most likely have bled to death."

"Then she knew you were here," Ray pointed out. "She could have been watching you for days."

Fraser hung his head as the realisation hit home. Of course, Ray was right. The pieces were starting to fit together now.

Ray put a supportive hand his shoulder. "You OK?" he asked.

Fraser shrugged. He didn't feel OK, he felt like his heart had been chewed up and spat out. "Thank you for coming, Ray," he said.

"I guess the furball deserves a donut," replied Ray.

Fraser smiled and ruffled Dief's ears again.

"Why did she do it?" asked Ray.

"I don't know yet," replied Fraser. "But she must have had a good reason. She had a plan, but I can't make sense of it yet."

"You've taken nasty blow to the head there, buddy," Ray said. "I should get you to the hospital. When the concussion clears you'll figure it all out, I'm sure."

"I'm fine, Ray," replied Fraser. "I just need to rest for a while."

xXxXx

As dawn broke Ray was thankful that the Ice Queen favoured such strong coffee. Three cups of the stuff he'd found in the kitchen had kept him awake. He turned his gun over and over in his hand. It had been there the whole time; Ray wasn't taking any chances.

Fraser's eyes opened and he groaned.

"How are you feeling?" asked Ray.

_How am I feeling? _"Oh, you mean physically," replied Fraser. "A little achy, that's all."

"I called the Duck Boys," said Ray. "Dewey was pissed, but he can wait a couple more hours until McAlister and Johnson get there."

"What did you tell him?" asked Fraser.

"Nothing," replied Ray. "Don't worry."

"Thank you," said Fraser with half a smile.

Fraser got himself cleaned up and dressed. "We should be out on the streets asking questions, Ray," he said. "Someone must have seen her, someone must know something."

Ray wasn't sure his buddy was up to it, but they needed to do something if they had any hope of finding Victoria.

They walked the streets all day, stopping only briefly for Ray to force Fraser to eat and drink. He was worried that, in the space of just a few hours, this situation had started to consume Fraser from the inside.

_I'm not gonna let that bitch get away with doing this to him. Not again. I've got his back this time._

As darkness started to fall, Fraser could fight the exhaustion no longer and he collapsed onto a bench. "We're not going to find her, are we," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Don't give up just yet," encouraged Ray.

"We should get back to the Consulate," replied Fraser. He couldn't think what else to do.

_What am I missing?_

Ray couldn't think of a better plan at that moment so they started walking back.

Fraser could barely put one foot in front of the other. He was physically and emotionally drained. "It doesn't make any sense, Ray," he said.

"OK, let's go over it again," replied Ray. "She turns up here in Chicago, a city where she's got an outstanding arrest warrant for murder and stabs herself. She comes to you, knowing you'll help her, but then she drugs you, beats you around the head and runs off. You're right, buddy. It doesn't make any sense."

The Consulate was in darkness when they got back. Inspector Thatcher and Constable Turnbull were both in Ottowa for five days. Victoria must have been fully aware of that, of course, Fraser realised.

"Can I get you anything?" Ray asked. "D'you want tea? Something to eat?"

"There's more to it, Ray," said Fraser, suddenly. "There are things I haven't told you about what happened."

"You don't have to tell me," replied Ray. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear any more anyway. It scared him to think that Fraser could have been so weak and vulnerable.

"I do," said Fraser and he took a deep breath. "She has a hold over me, Ray. I can't explain it. I lose myself when I'm with her. I lose all sense of who I am." His voice hitched.

"You don't have to do this now," said Ray. He didn't want to see Fraser break down again. "Sometimes it's good to let it out," he continued. He knew that only too well himself. "But not yet, OK? Give yourself some more time."

Fraser didn't need more time, though. "While she was here last night, she…she kissed me," he explained. He paused for breath before continuing. Just talking about it was exhausting. "She tried to seduce me," he finally managed to say. "We almost made love. I wanted to, Ray, I wanted to so badly, but...we didn't. Then she begged me to leave town with her."

Ray tried to take it all in. This is what Victoria had done before, wasn't it? She'd used sex to manipulate him and then when she had his trust she'd done everything in her power to hurt him. Why had Fraser fallen for the same trick again? What did this woman have over him?

"You didn't go with her before, why did she think you would this time?" asked Ray.

"I didn't, that's true," admitted Fraser, "but only because Ray shot me."

"No," Ray shook his head firmly. "Hey, you told me all this, remember. You thought you wanted to go with her, but your head was screwed. You weren't gonna get on a train with her, you were gonna bring her in."

Fraser shrugged. Was that really what he was going to do?

_Maybe…I can't remember now._

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Stay there, Fraser," Ray instructed. "I'll get it."

With his gun in his hand, Ray cautiously opened the door. A young woman was standing on the doorstep. She had bleached blonde hair and seemed underdressed for the chill of a spring evening in the city. "Who are you?" snapped Ray. "Canada's closed."

"I was told I could find the Mountie here," replied the woman.

"Who told you?" asked Ray suspiciously.

"A friend," answered the woman. "She asked me to give him this letter."

"Who's your friend? What does she look like?" Ray quizzed her.

"She's not really a friend, I barely know her," the woman explained. "She's been renting a bedsit in my building. Er, she has dark curly hair and…"

Fraser quickly joined his friend at the door. "Come in," he said, interrupting her.

Ray scowled. _This could be a trap, _he thought.

The young woman looked nervously around as she stepped inside. She thrust the letter into Fraser's hand. Fraser tore open the envelope and started to read.

"What's your name?" Ray asked the woman.

"Kelly," she replied, nervously. "Can I go now?"

"No. In here," Ray snapped and he manhandled her into the other room and pushed her onto the sofa.

He turned back just in time to see Fraser slump to his knees.

"What does it say?" Ray asked, gently.

"She's sorry," whispered Fraser.

"And you believe her?" asked Ray.

"She came back to do it all again, Ray, but she couldn't go through with it this time," Fraser explained. He handed his friend the letter.

Ray wasn't sure if he wanted to read it and he hesitated after the first line.

Fraser got to his feet and went to talk to Kelly while Ray read the letter. The writing was scruffy and Ray had trouble deciphering a few of the words. It had obviously been written in a hurry and, if Ray had learnt anything about analysing handwriting over the years, Victoria had been in a distressed and emotional state when she'd written it. Ray's nostrils flared with anger as he read down the page. She was one sick woman, he realised and if he hadn't already known what she'd done to Fraser he might have started to feel sorry for her.

She'd had enough of life on the run, but she knew she could never go back to prison and so she'd planned to end her own life, but not before she'd finished the job she'd started three years ago. She wanted to bring Fraser down with her, to destroy him for good this time. Her plan had been to seduce Fraser, have one final night of wild passion and then kill herself, leaving enough evidence behind to frame Fraser for her rape and murder. At the last minute, though, she'd realised she couldn't go through with her plan. So instead she'd used the drug she'd planned to use on herself - to dull the pain of bleeding to death - on Fraser and then she'd just walked away.

Ray felt a wave of nausea rise up and he forced it down. He had to stay strong for Fraser. So this was the woman Fraser loved, was it? Wow, Victoria Metcalf was seriously disturbed. Was all of this really caused by Fraser turning her in to the cops all those years ago? He knew that's what Fraser thought. Fraser had always blamed himself for the whole mess and the guilt he'd carried with him for so long was why he couldn't get her out of his head.

Ray glanced towards the other room. He could see Fraser interrogating Kelly, writing down as many details as he could as the young woman spoke. Ray sighed. He would be perfectly happy to let Victoria kill herself - as far as he was concerned it was just one less execution for the State to pay for - but Fraser wasn't going to see it like that. He wasn't going to let her go that easily, he was going to be more determined than ever now to find her.

"Fraser," said Ray, tucking the letter into the back pocket of his jeans.

"She only left a few hours ago, Ray," said Fraser, urgently. "We need to get an APB out on her. Let's get all major routes covered and the ports and airports too. You and I can head up the search teams. I know her, I know the kinds of places she might go to if she decides to stay in Chicago."

"Fraser, let her go," said Ray.

"Oh yes, of course," replied Fraser. "My apologies, Kelly, you've been most helpful. Thank you kindly." He leapt up and showed the young woman to the door.

"I didn't mean her, Fraser," said Ray when Kelly had left.

Fraser nodded slowly. "I know," he said, quietly.

"I'll call it in," said Ray, "but then you and me are gonna get a pizza and watch a game and forget all about Victoria Metcalf."

"But, Ray," protested Fraser. "You read the letter, she's desperate. I can't allow her to take her own life."

"D'you really believe that's what she's gonna do? Seems to me like she's pretty good at deceiving you, Fraser. Don't you think maybe she just wrote that letter to make you feel guilty again?" Ray was trying to keep the anger out of his voice, but he couldn't fool Fraser.

"You don't know her, Ray," pleaded Fraser. "She's not…well, she is…but, I think I can help her."

"You think you can help everyone," Ray pointed out.

For once Fraser didn't have an answer. He turned away from Ray, determined to keep his composure, but he couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Hey, buddy," said Ray gently and he slung his arm around the Mountie's shoulders. "You tried to help her before and look what she did to you? Some people just don't wanna be helped."

"I don't want her to end her own life, Ray," sobbed Fraser.

"Even if that's what she wants?" offered Ray.

Fraser shrugged.

Ray couldn't think of anything else to say to comfort his friend. He didn't believe for a minute that they were going to find the body of Victoria Metcalf any time soon. People like that don't quit that easily, he thought. _I bet a whole team of psychiatrists couldn't figure out what goes on in her mind._

"Maybe she'll come back?" Fraser pondered, hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe," nodded Ray. _Like a bad penny… _"But right now she's gone, OK, and you gotta get her outta your head."

Fraser sighed. _If only it was that easy..._ "I'll try, Ray," he said. "I'll try."

THE END


End file.
